Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr cried foul over Klay Thompson’s ejection following his role in the altercation with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“There’s no way Klay Thompson should have been thrown out of the game,” Kerr told reporters after their 104-101 loss to the Timberwolves Tuesday night.
“I mean, he’s running up the floor and [Jaden McDaniels] grabs his jersey and he’s pulling on him and so Klay pulls back. No way Klay should have been ejected. That was ridiculous!
So I was upset about that.”
The Thompson-McDaniels altercation escalated quickly as Rudy Gobert grabbed Thompson to try to pull him away. But Draymond Green took it to another level when he violently grabbed Gobert, put him in a chokehold, and dragged him away.
Things are getting HEATED and out of control early 👀
To Kerr, Green just instinctively defended his teammate.
“If you watch the replay, Rudy had his hands on Klay’s neck and that’s why Draymond went after Rudy, and that’s how I saw one replay right after it happened,” Kerr said. “Guys on the back of the bench were telling us that Rudy had Klay and that’s why Draymond went after Rudy, so that’s all I know. But it was a bizarre way to start the game a minute and a half in.”
Draymond Green should be suspended. This is the type behavior the NBA should be punishing. Not players flexing after a poster dunk.
Gobert slammed Kerr’s defense of Green.
“What do you want me to say? He’s backing his guy, but I think he knows,” Gobert told The Athletic. “Deep inside, he (doesn’t) want to say it but his guy is a clown.”
Rudy Gobert Calls Out Draymond Green
Gobert described Green’s actions as “clown behavior.”
“It’s kind of funny because before the game, I was telling myself that Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try and get ejected,” Gobert told The Athletic. “Because every time Steph doesn’t play, (Draymond) doesn’t want to play — it’s his guy Steph. He’ll do anything he can to get ejected.”
Gobert proceeded to anchor the Timberwolves defense, especially in the fourth quarter when they rallied from a seven-point deficit to win their seventh straight.
The French center scored nine points grabbed 13 rebounds and swatted away three shots.
Then he added insult to Green’s wounds.
“Clown behavior and I’m proud of myself for being the bigger man again and again,” Gobert told The Athletic. “And yeah, (he) doesn’t even deserve me putting my hands on him. My team needed me tonight. I did whatever I could to keep my cool and then show that I wasn’t making the situation worse, and I do hope that the league is going to do what needs to be done because that’s just clown behavior.”
Green and Gobert won’t meet again until March 24 when games have higher stakes heading into the playoffs.
Stephen Curry is Day-to-Day
After a spate of bad news, the Warriors received some good news on Stephen Curry’s MRI results.
“Nothing alarming,” Kerr said. “So I would say he’s day to day and we’ll see.”
Curry’s next chance to suit up for the Warriors is on Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.
“We’ll just have an update each day and let you know what’s going on,” Kerr said. “But it won’t be long if he misses another game or two. It’s not going to be anything long-term.”
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Steve Kerr Cries Foul Over Klay Thompson’s Ejection, Defends Draymond Green